


How None Became Three

by nomnomdude



Category: Life of the Party (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, I caught feelings, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, ship fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-08-10 21:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20142094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nomnomdude/pseuds/nomnomdude
Summary: I caught feelings and needed to write about it. Mostly just the inner thoughts of our ship trio on their journey to discovering feelings for eachother as we follow them on their adventures. (Previously How Cassian Met Elyse)(fixed tags, autofill did a weird things, whoops)





	1. Cassian

Cassian couldn't stop thinking of that first introduction. The absolute beauty before him, confidence and grace exuded from Elyse before she even spoke. He'd heard about her in passing but nothing could have prepared him for the woman herself. He threw on all of his social graces and hoped she was as interested as he was. And then she completely ignored his wishes by trying to enter his shop but he could play along with that. Meet confidence with confidence and show that was something he could be her equal in. There was something he couldn't quiet put his finger on with Renard but that was something to consider at a later date. Elyse was the kind of person who would need his full attention to impress since she was quiet impressive herself and she was well aware of that.

The last thing he wanted to do was come off as desperate, not that anyone could use that word to describe him. He decided to play it casual and maybe a bit dismissive to completely throw off any accusations of desperation. It seemed to work, she seemed a bit thrown but not disinterested by his attitude. Her party trick seemed quiet interesting and made him want to show off, maybe a little too much. He might have shown off more than necessary but he wasn't the type to do things half assed. He wished he had time to properly gauge her reaction before the ship captain came running but the look in her eye that he did catch was certainly promising.

He found that he and Elyse were quiet compatible in their attitudes, particularly toward Renard. Again, something to evaluate later. Confident users of magic and masters of their elements. Both using their charms to get their way when needed and sometimes just for the fun of it. Even in companionable silence they seemed to go to similar habits. While he did enjoy talking he did not mind silence and it seemed that she did not need to fill the void with noise either.

Having the party split up when they came ashore seemed like the best way to get everything they needed before heading out but being separated from Elyse and Renard handling supplies gave Cassian time alone to consider where exactly he was going with this. Sure, Elyse was lovely and charming but the future had to be considered. They weren't traveling alone, any attempts made to truly woo her wouldn't go unnoticed forever, however quaint their companions were. Would he truly be willing to let these, nearly, complete strangers see him in this light. Elyse did not seem the type to let him win her over easily and he wasn't one to get off his pedestal without good reason. He had a reputation to uphold and a cunning thief, no matter how charming, was still a thief.

He went around in circles like this in his head for what seemed like hours before Renard emerged from the shop and handed back the left over coin from his share of the rations. Soon Elyse and Boblem rejoined the group and there was no more time to think. As soon as his eyes were caught by Elyse again none of that circling in his head mattered.

And so they set off. Feelings still up in the air or to be considered later, much later. All Cassian could be sure of was that Elyse was most likely to be the death of him if he didn't make a decision sooner or later. Renard leading them through a muddy swamp that was sure to ruin his boots was certainly making some feelings easier to prioritize than others.


	2. Renard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm continuing this ship fest! I'm going to be bouncing between POVs each chapter depending on who's POV would be most interesting. I'm going to try to follow each episode with a look into the mind of one of our ship trio on this journey.
> 
> Today we take a look into the mind of Renard into a near deadly battle and how it effects his self-imposed indifference.

Renard trekked toward the first solid thing they've seen since leaving the city, a wooden bridge going over what was probably the murkiest part of the swamp. There was no telling how deep the thick mud was or what might be in it. He know they needed to use caution when crossing and hope they didn't disturb anything. Then Cassian trudge ahead of him, running across the bridge and Renard's worries became reality. A huge, putrid swamp troll crashed over the bridge and he froze. Cassian was in the most danger here, he needed Renard's help, he wouldn't stand a chance against that thing, but Renards's feet wouldn't move. He wanted to call out, tell Cassian to fall back, something other than just stand there completely useless. But none of those things happened.

More monsters rose from the swamp and in the blink of an eye Cassian was falling, and still there was nothing Renard could do. He watched as his companions battled the beasts and tried to free himself from the mud that now kept him where his mind had held him when this began. When Cassian stood once more he couldn't help but feel overwhelming relief. He fought harder, directing his companions to continue the fight when he couldn't fight himself. He watched in horror as one of the beast's jaws was around Cassian once more, a horrible repeat of what felled his _friend_ last time, but Cassian still stood when the beast released him and relief once more was felt.

He felt _something_ watching Cassian and Elyse side by side in battle. Cassian seemed to be playing off his injuries but Renard was still worried. The way they moved and seemed to compete with each other even while Cassian was still injured was a thing to see. He could have sworn they were almost flirting, while their lives were at stake. Regardless of his feelings about the arcane he could still appreciate it, as long as it was no where near him.

Finally freed enough to fight, just as the battle was winding down, Renard felt like he could finally show Cassian and Elyse, and the rest of his companions of course, what he was capable of. Joining Boblem's side he helped to clear out the last few swamp monsters and finally they were safe. 

“Astra, can you clean my outfit please?!” Renard finds himself actually happy to hear Cassian's voice and then immediately perturbed that he cares more about his clothes than his wounds, but he'd be worried if Cassian _actually_ seemed concerned about his injuries.

After an very regrettable journey into the swamp and Elyes acquiring a bag of _ears_ he hurries back on to the bridge. The putrid ears nearly distract him from seeing Astra and Cassian work together to clean and mend his wounds and clothes. Renard adjusts his scarf and takes a moment to himself to be relieved to see Cassian whole and uninjured once more. Hearing his voice no longer strained fills him with a feeling he can't quite place. Until he remembers the mud on his clothes and then he's pulled back to reality.

He thinks it shows just how exhausted he is from the battle that Boblem makes him laugh after he brushes off Boblem's concern. While Boblem's concern was touching he was not ready to share with this group of near strangers. Right, stranger, he barely knew these people so why did he feel so much worry and whatever else it was that Cassian and Elyse caused. He hoped that he got a something as close to silence as possible with his companions following him. Boblem and Sariel chatted, Astra hummed and sang, and Cassian and Elye seemed to be conspiring but they all seemed to leave him alone for the time being. Of course, when he tried to rejoin the camaraderie he just ended up embarrassing himself. Astra tried to be nice but explaining that he was just accepting his help so he wouldn't be embarrassed just added to it. At least Elye had the heart to explain that to Astra while Renard turned on his heel and kept walking.

The rest of the walk was peaceful until they decided to sit and rest. That's when the _ears_ made another appearance. They smelled even worse than before, Renard took a good few steps back, he was _not _going to throw up in front of these people. Elyse tried to explain her reason for keeping them but the smell overpowered even her answers. When Cassian destroyed the bag and the ears within he could almost kiss him he was so thankful even though the mist and bits of ear were gross it was better than looking forward to that smell following them around. While he wasn't the biggest fan of Astra's magic songs he enjoyed the tiefling's singing.

Feeling more clean and dry from their rest on completely dry land Renard felt more sure on his feet after the wet swampy nightmare. He led their group further on their way and thankfully with no more monsters to fight along the way. Before he knew it the sun was starting to set and his companions were starting to talk of finding somewhere to rest. With Astra's help they found a good place to set up camp for the night. There was rain threatening to come in so it was definitely about time.

While Renard wanted some time alone it appeared Elyse was not going to give him that. He and the sorceress had not had much time between just the two of them but he wasn't against spending time with her. He was curious about her. She was as much of a mystery to him as he probably was to her, with just as many secrets perhaps. She had proven herself to be a good companion to have on this journey and he wanted to show his appreciation for the help she had been so far. He found himself opening up to her and that he actually enjoyed her company. Telling her about his search for answers for the royal family felt like more than it was, like he was letting her into some part of him that few got to see. 

That she seemed to want to stay and enjoyed spending time with him was a surprise. He figured she's want to head back down to the rest of the group to spend more time with Cassian since they seemed to get along well. Being away from them was a relief in and of itself. Seeing Cassian laughing and talking with Elyse and Astra was still jarring. The image of Cassian covered in blood and falling onto the muddy bridge was still in his mind. If he looked at Cassian for too long his clothes tore apart and his wounds opened once more. The monster was there again, sinking it's teeth into Cassian's shoulder. It was better to be away until he could shake that image for good. 

Elyse shook him out of his thoughts by handing him a gift. A shimmering crystal decanter, it was a lovely gift and he felt compelled to give one in return. The pocket watch he had, while useful, was still arcane and too close for his comfort. She accepted it in return and he was glad to reciprocate her kindness. He sort of let it slip to her about his weariness of the arcane but she was kind enough to let it go instead of pushing which he appreciated. They soon headed back to rejoin the rest of the group and Renard felt better than he had before. 


	3. Cassian

After some unexpected company in the form of two lizard folk joining them the rest of the night carried on without disturbance. No one argued for once, the atmosphere was one of exhaustion after a long day. It wasn't until the early morning that Cassian had to face his own thoughts again in the form as Sariel confronting him about his relationship with Renard. She seemed to be under the ridiculous impression that he actually liked the man. He tolerated Renard, that was all. Sure, Renard did look peaceful in his sleep, lovely in a way, but anyone would think that so there was nothing to look too far into. Sariel was quite intuitive in her way but he couldn't afford to let go of his standards without losing his security in a time like this. The thought of a friend in her was too much for him to process along with all the other complicated emotions he was trying to sort through. No one had wanted to actually be his friend in some time without wanting something out of the friendship. To have the offer made so sincerely was off putting.

Cassian fled as he saw Renard shift in his bedroll. He needed to get away from all of these emotions for a while. He tried to meditate but he couldn't silence his mind. His feelings for Elyes and Renard, Sariel's insight into his pretenses, her offer of friendship, and his desire to just bury all of that warring in his mind. He settled for just reading for a bit but none of the words stuck. Eventually he gave up entirely and rejoined his companions. Shortly after he rejoined so did Renard, distressed in a way he'd never seen the man before. He felt something well up inside him, a need to find whatever caused Renard to feel such a way and make it pay. He quickly shook that off and managed to deliver a snarky remark straight.

“Did you fall in the river and scare yourself?” he was proud that it seemed to pull Renard out of his distress for just a moment before he was reminded of whatever happened again.

The shaking in Renard's voice was strange and upsetting in a way his mind was trying to fight against. Either some strange creature lurks in the waters here or Renard is more easily frightened than he seems, the latter seemed unlikely. Renard quickly tried to turn their attention away from him and towards their journey forward. Cassian was more than eager to start moving so that he could be distracted from this worry, it was completely unbecoming of him.

Of course they ended up at another filthy, swampy, river and this time with no bridge, wonderful. The group decided to send Astra across first, luckily Renard had enough rope to get them all across. Cassian was concerned not just about his outfit but about what could be lurking in this swamp after the creatures they've come across so far. At least they would be able to pull Astra back should his fears come true.

As it turns out they were worried about the wrong thing. Instead of a creature that threatened Astra it was the swamp itself. Cassian's mind raced as Astra went under, they needed to help him now. The whole group pulled on the rope but Astra remained in the swamp and continued to go under. At this rate it wasn't safe to risk Astra drowning for the sake of communication. He cast crystal whip and managed to catch Astra, it would hurt him but at least he would be safe at the shore faster. He mentally apologized and pulled him to safety. Astra looked absolutely terrified but safe aside from the small injuries from the whip. His companions were not pleased but he didn't care that they were trying, it wasn't working and Astra needed his help. If they all wanted to be mad at him for saving Astra they could be.

The relief did not last long as the cackling started around them. The putrid rotting fish around them were laughing. This was completely unnatural and set everyone on edge. Cassian's attention went to Astra who was gripping his pack like his life depended on it, his face the very picture of fear. He could only hope that Astra could pull himself together enough to face whatever creature was causing this.

The thing rose from the swamp, a horrid image of Astra warped and decaying. He knew it wasn't really Astra but a part of him was repulse by the idea that this could happen to his companion, that this could be his fate had Cassian not intervened. He immediately lashes at the creature with the whip of his wand. He kept repeating to himself that it wasn't Astra, Astra was out of the water and safe. The scream that the creature and the rotting fish around them lets out solidifies his conviction that this thing is not his companion and needs to die quickly. He backed away, learning his lesson from the troll to stay away from deadly creatures. Renard's order to bring the thing closer shocked him, he was compelled to do so and was amused by the feeling of Renard's words having that effect on him. The creature was pulled just close enough for Renard to get at it and he's glad to have Renard between him and the creature. Renard's show of violence in slaying the beast is quite a thing to behold before it let out a final scream and fell back into the river..

He had a moment of relief before Boblem drew his attention back to the river. Giant Fish creatures rising out of the water, one close to him with nothing between him and this new enemy. He watched as Boblem blew one of the creatures back with a wave of thunder before it goes under and rises back out of the water right in front of Renard. He found himself relieved when Renard manages to fend off it's attacks. Not wanting to risk further danger to Renard he cursed the creature and cast an arcane bolt pushing it back and away from his companion. Apparently Renard didn't appreciate Cassian getting him out of danger since right after Elyse threw a fire ball at it Renard's oddly compelling voice called to him.

“Can you just bring it back over here, please?!”

“I suppose so.” Cassian sighed as he used his crystal whip again to pull the thing back in.

Just as he felt that they were making progress he saw one of the beasts turn it's attention to Sariel. In the blink of an eye there was a harpoon flying through the air and Sariel was hit, the harpoon buried in her chest. He felt a strange protective rage rise up in his chest which doubled as Sariel was pulled into the river. He watched as Astra ran toward her, pulling her up. He felt an excruciating pain in his side and looked to see an harpoon embedded there. Before that could fully register he found himself pulled violently into the river, the pain in his side rising. Through the pain he managed to react in time to fend off an attack from the thing that pulled him in, he cursed it and spit blood at the thing in return.

Suddenly Renard was beside him, the pain making it hard to focus on anything but the monster in front of him. Renard was moving quickly then, the monster let out a cry before falling. Cassian slumped himself against Renard and felt the man's arm wrap around him.

“Are you okay? Should we try to get this out?” Renard's voice was so close.

“I mean...if you would be so kind, good sir.” He breathed and Renard pulled him away from the water.

Renard laid him at the bank and removed the harpoon, the pain increasing as the barbs tore at his side before it was free of him. Boblem came over to them and he feels magic pour into the wound, easing the pain. He felt Renard's hand move against his face, moving some hair back into place before he is gone from his side. Cassian came back to himself and grabbed for his bag and pulled out a mirror, examining the damage done.

“Astra? Please?” He motioned to his appearance and as Astra waved a hand at him he feels the muck clear away.

After a quick “thank you” in infernal he quickly got to work on making himself look presentable again. Sariel checked on him, he was relived that she seemed fine, and he watched as the group pulled themselves back together again. He offered to sing some songs with Astra in infernal and was surprised to find that Astra seemed to dislike the language. Astra does however accept teaching him some songs in silvan which he decided to count as a win. The group decided to rest and tend to their wounds before carrying on to the other side of the river.


	4. Elyse

After some rest the group began to plan. Elyse was still worried about Astra, he was shaken up and she worried about the prospect of getting him to go back into the water after what happened. She hoped that if she crossed with him then maybe he's feel safe enough to go. The rest of the group pitched in on ways to make Astra feel better about this way of proceeding. Ren offered to go first and Elyse worried for that too, she knew about his uneasiness around water in general. She tensed and grabed the other end of the rope as Ren started his way into the water. She watched as he cautiously made his way across, holding her breath that nothing bad would happen this time, only releasing it when her friend was safely on the other bank.

As they planed who would go next Cass just magics his way across and appeared next to Ren. Of course the ass didn't mention that he could do that sooner, that would have been too convenient to have someone else on the other side when Ren crossed. She watched as Astra handed his bag over to Sariel and she followed Cass over. She made her displeasure about Cass not sharing that he could do that known before following Astra over the river. She checked on Astra who seemed better about the river now that they'd crossed it.

Elyse stayed close to Astra as the group followed him away from the river. Soon they found a place to rest and Elyse left Astra's side as he began talking with Cass. She took some time to herself as she spent some time studying her arcane focus before switching to reading about them. Astra began playing and singing and Elyse felt herself relax more.

After some rest they began on their way again with help from Astra to find the safest route. Elyse walked beside Ren as they pressed on even with the sun setting, wanting to make as much headway as possible after being delayed at the river. Astra spotted lights up ahead and Cass cast a couple lights around them.

Elyse decided to check out if they were safe, she can turn invisible so she has the best chance of checking them out undetected. She made sure to tell them not to go charging in this time, they did not need to cause on unneeded scene again. She made it to the camp quietly and could see people and hear voices but they're quiet talking made them hard to understand. They seemed to have captured someone or some people. She tried to get a better look at them by moving around, she needed to know who they were talking about if she could. She didn't get a good look before she heard the dog.

She tried to sneak away but couldn't, there was a dog too close. An arrow flew past her and her senses failed her. She tried again to sneak away but to no avail, suddenly there was a dog latching onto her side. She panicked as her spell fell and she was unable to speak. The pain in her side is increased by the panic and there was a sudden pain in her back to add to it as the panic rose. She needed to get out, she needed to get back to her friends. She managed to free herself from the dog and took off running. She senses final came back as she got farther from the camp. She made herself invisible and rushed back to her friends while trying to lose the dog on her trail. She saw her friends moving before the light around them went out. Finally losing the dog she ran toward her friends and gripped on to Ren as soon as she reaches them.

She quickly rushed her friends away from the dangers. The bolt in her shoulder didn't matter, all that mattered was getting as far away as possible. Astra and Boblem were insistent on helping her but that could wait. After Ren and Cass rejoined them they started searching for some place safe to hide. Of course Ren wanted to know what happened. Elyse's panic carried as she explains as best she could what happened. Astra again insisted on helping her but she just pulled out the bolt herself.

The group quietly made their way away from the bandits. They found a place to hide and wait, planning what their next move should be. Elyse was still panicking over what had happened even with Astra comforting her and the pain receding from her injuries. She calmed slightly as she tried to explain what the bandits were doing there. She was surprised when Renard said that they had to go back, it was absolutely insane. She moved away from the group as much as she could, further into the back of the nook they'd hidden themselves in.

Elyse's eyes shot up as she heard a commotion. Ren was leaving the nook with a distressed Sariel and Astra following him, along with a snake that use to be Boblem. She sighed and shakily stood, following them out. They quietly made their way, following Ren back the way they came, all but Cass who stayed behind.

Elyse's panic began to rise again as she heard one of the bandits yell and an arrow fly past Astra. After shooting a fire ball at the one held by Boblem she moved to a safer spot. She felt Astra's magic wash over her and the panic finally dissipated. The calm feeling didn't last long as a screech came out of one of the bandits as it transformed into some sort of rat-thing and attacked Ren. She held her breath as the thing latched onto him, her worry for herself dissipated, replaced by a whole new worry for him.

As Ren fought the ratman off her thoughts rushed to figure out how to end this quickly. She would not let her friends get hurt because of her. She shouldn't have said anything, she should have said that she knew nothing about what they were doing here, then Ren wouldn't have rushed off and put himself in danger. She needed to get him to safety somehow.

Sudden relief came when Cass showed up. He was pissed of course but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting everyone out of this safely and Cass could help with that at least. Astra added to that with his music, she felt more motivated to end this and more hope that they could do this without her friends getting hurt because of her. She took out her arcane focus and centered herself, she could do this. She unleashed an arcane bolt at the rat and delights at the damage it seemed to do to the thing.

While Boblems attack also hit the rat she was shocked that Ren seemed to not be able to hurt it at all. Worry rose again for him, he was so close and he couldn't hurt the beast at all. Now the worry was entangled with motivation, instead of the need to run she felt the need to help and confident that she could do so.

As a bolt flew past Ren her attention was brought to the bandit with the crossbow she'd nearly forgotten about. As he turned and ran she remembers that there were more where these 3 came from. She saw Sariel run after him and hoped that she could catch him while her attention was brought back to the more immediate danger of the ratman so close to Ren. She realized too late that Sariel had stopped and was too close. Her mind went back to the river where Sariel was so badly hurt. She snapped back to reality to see Sariel managed to push the beast off as Cass made another attack. The ratman was obliterated and she sighed in relief, thankful that Cass came to help even though he was reluctant to be involved at all.

The last thing to worry about was the bandit bound by Sariel. The group began making their way to him, the bastard had gotten far. Ren wanted him alive and he wanted to talk, she was fine with that as long as they were safe. Sariel's restraints seemed to be holding but he managed to get an arm free and caught Astra with a bolt. She felt the electricity crackle around her at that but it calmed as Sariel burst into a wolf and tackled the bandit, restraining him further.

Ren seemed dissatisfied with the bandits answers and she wondered what this was all for then. Ren wanted him dead and but she wasn't going to kill him without a plan on how to get the captured rangers the bandits said they had. As Cass disguised himself as the restrained bandit she picked up what he was thinking, she needed to see what the other one looked like. With that Cass killed the remaining bandit and they began to gather up what they could from the three corpses.

Astra came to her with a good plan that was terrible at the same time. Of course it made sense to bring a “captured” person with them but Astra was hurt already. She didn't want to put her friend in even more danger but everyone agreed that Ren, Sariel, and Boblem would say close by but out of sight. As she handed over the crossbow and bolts she found to Ren one bolt caught her attention. She felt that this inscribed bolt might be what blocked her senses and Cass confirmed that suspicion for her. The magic user in the group of bandits would be at a disadvantage now that this bolt was theirs.

After disguising herself as the apparent leader and scenting themselves for the dogs the group began on their way to the bandit's camp. Elyse could only hope that they would all come out of the coming fight safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this I'm finally caught up! I was so excited to write from Elyse's POV finally and I hope that you all enjoyed it!


	5. Cassian

The plan to attack the bandits was simple enough. Cassian and Elyse fool them with Astra, they kill everyone, rescue the scouts and finally rest for the night. Cassian was exhausted and not looking forward to the fight. Three fights in one day was not what he was expecting when they started but these bandits needed to be dealt with since he wasn't eager to wake up dead.

Thankfully things went just as planned with not much of a struggle and no new injuries to speak of, thank the gods for that. The only part to go wrong was that Cassian couldn't convince them with his lie about their group being dead. He was tired, what did they expect? They had some weapons and coin on them but not much else and the rangers were now safe.

Cassian sat at the fire, finally able to relax. The group had questions for the conscious ranger questions but Cassian wasn't very interested, he caught the important things but his mind kept going back to Elyse. She'd been hurt bad but it didn't seem to be bothering her. He was impressed with how quickly she seemed to have recovered from her encounter, attentive and close to Astra as usual. He was not jealous of Astra, the two were simply close, there was nothing to be jealous of.

The talk went to maps and he saw as Renard's interest grew in the conversation. He watched as the ranger with the blue skin walked him through the directions to their destination and the safest way to get there. Renard nodding along and working his way through the map with her. As they worked he turned back to Elyse and watched as she gripped at her arcane focus, perhaps she wasn't as calm as she seemed.

The conversation went to the types of people that travel around these parts. Boblem seemed surprised that he was an elf, a ridiculous notion. Cassian tried to explain to him that pointed ears are the traits of elves and the revelation that he was a half elf only seemed to confuse him more. Not having the energy to deal with the boy having a crisis Cassian decided to cut the conversation there.

Renard announced he was going to sleep and the idea sounded wonderful. The sleeping part sounded wonderful, not the Renard sleeping part, of course it was just the idea of sleep that was appealing. He sometimes envied the ability to sleep for long periods of time, it would at least mean he wouldn't end up in the awkward position he ended up in. Boblem was awake at the same time as him and had questions, wonderful. That was how he wanted to start his morning, answering the questions of a confused child.

Boblem was a perfectly fine traveling companion but Cassian preferred it when he was left alone. Sariel already questioned his standing before and he did not need it questioned again. He tried to calm himself and explain the benefits of being an elf that Boblem might not realize he had. He was thankful for Sariel to come into the conversation, the awkwardness was getting suffocating. The conversation somehow turned to Cassian's attitude, he'd been through too much to be as carefree as the confused half elf. Sariel being in her 130s and Cassian beeing in his 200s seemed to throw Boblem off even more and Cassian doubted that this was helping at all. Thankfully the awkward conversation ended and Boblem walked off after thanking them.

In the morning the rangers left to head back to town and Renard seemed especially grumpy when he called for Elyse to follow him. Elyse's limp worried him, he knew she wasn't fine. He tried to pull his mind away from that worry, he couldn't let feelings get in the way of what they were doing. He made a mental note to check on her later anyway, it wouldn't help the group to have someone with an untreated injury. This was all for the sake of practicality, no strong feelings needed.

Renard called Astra up to where they went and after a bit of waiting Renard came back and informed them that they were on their way. Elyse and Astra were still close and Cassian was still not jealous, he just admired that Astra was close with Elyse. As they traveled the thing that they were heading toward became clearer and it definitely wasn't a star. Elyse seemed quite confident that this was what the scouts saw fall from the sky and she also seemed very interested in it. As she went rushing on ahead Cassian was right behind her. If Elyse was this excited it was bound to be something good.

The half of a wrecked ship in the water seemed to draw Elyse toward it, Cassian tried to get her attention but she ignored him. Cassian's excitement turned to concern as he continued to follow her through the wreckage. There were noises coming from the ship and the group was calling for Elyse. She finally came out of whatever was driving her and turned back to them. Before Renard could get answers as to what was going on they heard more noises and it sounded like they were getting closer. Soon something in the sky could be seen over head.

Renard went running off, yelling about killing the thing. Cassian couldn't agree more, whatever this thing was probably wasn't friendly. Giant winged things that were friendly would have been worth mentioning by the rangers if that were so. Astra wanted to leave but that didn't seem likely, especially after it attacked them. As Sariel illuminated it he froze for a second, a beastly manticore was revealed to them, his concern grew at the giant creature and the idea that there might be another one nearby.

As Elyse attacked the thing he found himself temporarily distracted. The lightning flowing around her and on her skin was fascinating, she looked incredible. The light show she put on was just as amazing as she was. His attention was drawn back to the beast they were fighting, this was no time for admiration, he cast a spell on it's mind, the screech it let out satisfied something in him. He then stepped closer to Elyse, wanting to get further away from the field of battle.

As the second manticore emerged too close to Astra. Cassian didn't have time to react as it attacked, he held his breath as a beam of light came down and burned the beast. When he could see Astra again he was still standing but hurt. His worry was put aside as s giant bolt soared through the air and hit the flying manticore.

Cassian's attention was brought back to Renard, impressed when he then volted over the wreckage and attacked the beast that hurt Astra. He whipped around as he heard the beating of wings behind him now. Suddenly Boblem was hit and Cassian tensed, feeling a surge of protectiveness that he quickly beat down. Elyse attacked the flying beast in turn, her power still a sight to behold as she knocked the thing out of the sky.

Only the manticore on the ground was left, Cassians attention brought back to it just in time to see Astra fall. He felt an overwhelming rage inside him as the world seemed to slow. Boblem ran to Astra's body, pulling out a potion and forcing it on him. The rage only lessened slightly as Astra drew breath, this thing would pay for the harm it's done. He could barely think as Renard rushed to Astra's side and touched his face with his bare hands, seeming to heal him through that alone. It distracted him for only a moment before Renard was attacking the creature, drawing him back the the source of his anger. He channeled that feeling into a finally bolt of arcane and curse energy, felling the beast at last.

Cassian than rushed over to Boblem, Astra, and Renard. He saw Sariel join them but was more concerned about Boblem at the moment. He pulled the barbs out of Boblem's back and watched Sariel healed the Boblem and Astra's wound. Renard walked off shouting but Elyse was what worried him more. As the group took care of their wounds he approached the sorceress, electricity still arcing off her and she hadn't moved for said a word since the fight ended.

“Hey, thunderstom, everything alright?” He hoped he could snap her out of whatever she was in but got nothing but a bust of static electricity as he put a hand on her shoulder.

He tried to get answers as to what was happening to her but it seems even she didn't know. His concern grew as she pushed his hand away and went back to the wrecked ship. He grabbed her wrist and followed her, not wanting to leave her alone with whatever was going on in her head. They began searching the ship, he hoped that would distract her. Elyse's attention was brought to the cage while he looked around. It was obvious that a fight happened here but the damage was confusing, all this damage and blood but he couldn't tell what they were from. He grabbed the abandoned bag, the supplies inside could be useful, before his attention was drawn back to Elyse. She moved with purpose through the wreckage in a way that only added to his worry, she seemed to know exactly where to go.


End file.
